1. Field of the Invention
My present invention relates to vases, and more particularly to untippable safety vases for use in connection with umbrella tables.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vases of many shapes and sizes have been well known in the prior art for many years.
It is well known to use vases for the display of cut flowers, the stems of the particular bunch of cut flowers to be displayed being contained in the vase, which is then partially or completely filled with water.
As is well known, some tall and slender vases of the prior art adapted for the display of "long-stemmed" flowers are subject to being easily tipped or upset, thereby discharging the water contained in the vase onto the adjacent tabletop and consequently wetting the associated tablecloth or items disposed on the table top, such as newspapers, books, and other items which are damaged by wetting.
This problem with prior art vases for "long-stemmed" flowers is particularly aggravated when the table upon which such a vase is disposed is subject to frequent precipitate displacement or jostling, as is the case with umbrella tables which are not provided with an umbrella table weight.
For this reason, certain vases of the prior art are provided with clips or clamps by which they may be affixed to their associated support structures. An example of such vases and their associated clips or clamps is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,496, issued to Arnold A. Koistinen on Dec. 6, 1983. The vase clip of Koistinen is adapted to engage the top edge portion of
a church pew or bench, and does not address the problem of the upsetting of a vase disposed upon a planar, horizontal tabletop, adjacent the center thereof.
A copy of said U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,496 is being filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office along with this patent application.
The term "prior art" as used herein or in any statement made by or for applicant means only that any document or thing referred to as prior art bears, directly or inferentially, a date which is earlier than the effective filing date hereof.
No representation is made that the Koistinen patent is part of the prior art, or that a search has been made, or that no more pertinent information exists.